Trying to make a good bitter.

[dzlater]

Hello all, from the US.
I have been lurking around reading the forum and thought I would finally intoduce myself and ask a few questions.
I have been trying to make a really good bitter for a while now, and while I am happy with my results I thought maybe you all could give a few pointers.
One recipe I have been using is:
3.2 k Maris Otter
0.2 k wheat malt
28 g challenger @ 90 min
14 g Mt. Hood @ 10 min
28 g Mt. Hood dry hop 6 days
Wyeast 1318 London Ale III
mash @ 67 c
This is for a 19L batch.
This is supposed to be a John Hanson Bitter clone recipe I got from a magazine.
I took this beer to a club meeting and a fellow who is a BJCP judge said it was good , but not a bitter. This guy has judged a lot of contests so I generally respect his opinion.
A lot of what I read says bitters "must have some crystal malt", but many of the recipes I see have none to very little, so I was wondering what you all think?

The last one I did was:
3.2 k Maris Otter
0.2 k Crystal 60L
60 g pale chocolate
28 g Challenger @ 60 min
28 g Fuggles @ 20 min
14 g EKG @ 0 min.
wyeast 1275 Thames Valley
mash @ 66c
This one I added priming sugar to the corny keg it is still condtioning, so I haven't tried it yet.


Also I have been how much difference is there in the different British malts? Golden Promise vs. Maris Otter vs.Halcyon etc.
One more thing those polypin bags are cool. I plan on trying to do some cask ales and building a hand pump to hook up to the polypin bag.
Thanks,
Dan

 

[pittsy]

Hello and welcome from across the pond , you have come to the right place , i would say at least 70% of the brewers here love there bitters , alas i'm not 1 of them , but others will be along to help :

 

[lukehgriffiths]

Welcome... This forum is as addictive as brewing itself.
I just made my first bitter style ale last night.
I tend to keep things simple (aka cheap as I don't have a lot of cash spare) so it is just MO and Crystal... Nugget for bitterness with some fuggles and goldings for aroma. I May have tried to be a bit stronger and hoppier but have set this as the challenge of pleasing Dad and his favourite drink is worthington smooth!

 

[LeithR]

@dzlater,
Welcome to the forum.
To quickly respond to your original post, I've just had a good look thru Graham Wheelers Brew your own British Real Ales book.
Admittedly he lumps together IPA's and bitter in his recipe's section, many of the recipe's admittedly have Crystal malt in their makeup but not all. So I don't think your contact can be categorical in saying ALL bitters must contain Crystal.
There is even one which only has Pale Malt in its recipe, here it is:
Hop Back Summer Lightning - 19L recipe - 90 min Mash and 90 min boil. OG1049 FG 1011 ABV 5%

Pale Malt - 4120Grams

Challenger hops - 38g at start of boil

Goldings hops - 13g - last 10 mins of boil
Irish Moss 3 grams - last 10mins of boil

Post boil hops for bittering - Goldings 8g


Total liquor requirements 27L
Mash liquor 10.3L

I haven't tried it but the write up about it says "A pleasurable pale Bitter with a good, fresh, hoppy aroma and a malty hoppy flavour".

If you go for it I hope it works well for you - enjoy!!.

 

[wigwamheed]

Have a look through the recipes page up top, there's tonnes up there. I recently did Eskimo bitter and its tasting great!! Near the top of the page I think

 

[jonewer]

I think some of the confusion comes from there being no actual definition of what constitutes a bitter. Or even what constitutes an IPA, for that matter.

To me, a bitter is an amber to brown ale with modest IBU's set off by good body and some sweetness, hence the need for some crystal.

 

[dzlater]

Have a look through the recipes page up top, there's tonnes up there. I recently did Eskimo bitter and its tasting great!! Near the top of the page I think

That looks to a good one.
It's interesting to me that there are no IBU's from the 30min. hop addition?
Another question, I see a lot of love for something called wherry, seems to a kit beer?
What exactly is it, and there an all grain recipe for it?

Thanks for all the replies,
Dan

 

[LeithR]

Found this on JBK
http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=26474

Sounds like somebody is making a stab at an AG recipe.

 

[andyd]

Welcome to the forum

The first recipe you quote is very similar to one I have just made for a clone of Jeffrey Hudson Bitter - www.oakhamales.com/beers/jhb.html . This is from the Marc Ollosson book - www.realalerecipes.talktalk.net/buyrafthb.html

Whether it's a bitter depends on your point of view I suppose. The BJCP have an untold myriad of categories for beer so maybe your acquaintance thought it didn't sit in the "bitter" ones, probably because it's so pale. CAMRA clearly thought it a bitter when it won Champion Beer of Britain, Bitter category in 2001.

Let's not get too strung up about what it is though, it's the taste that counts. As others have suggested, try a few different recipes to see what works for you. There are plenty here on the forum and I'd recommend the Graham Wheeler book as a good starting point as well as the Marc Ollosson book above.

RDWHAHB!

Andy

 

[oz11]

Your mistake is taking any notice of the BJCP categories.

I have done a JHB style bitter (yes, bitter) myself and it's good

Do you like it, that's the main question?

 

[dzlater]

Your mistake is taking any notice of the BJCP categories.

I have done a JHB style bitter (yes, bitter) myself and it's good

Do you like it, that's the main question?

You are right about that. The reason I was trying to get "to style", is because I am supposed to bring a keg to serve at the National Homebrewers Conference. That place will be crawling BJCP types. But screw them, I am just going to brew something good and if doesn't have enough "biscuity overtones", "malty backbone", or "late hop presnance",or some other rubbish for some BJCP ******. I'll tell them to sod off.
( sod off, rubbish, ******, did I get that right : )
Does the Wheeler book also have info on porters, brown ales etc. ?
Thanks for everyones input.
Dan

 

[Dr Mike]

I think Wheeler does have a small number of Porter recipes but they will be modern 'revivalist' porters which may or may not bear much resemblence to the original Porter which pretty much died out in Britain between the wars (unless you count Guinness).

I have an old edition of Wheeler's book and there are no Brown Ale recipes, presumably because they are really a bottled style whilst Wheeler's book is published by CAMRA who can be just as dogmatic as the BJCP in their own way.

 

[oz11]

For info on porters I'll refer you to Ron's pages: for example 1859 East India Porter..oh hang on.. the BJCP might say it's not to style.

 

[graysalchemy]

One thing that does make a bitter an English bitter in my opinion is fruity esters which means temps of 20-21c especially in the growth phase. For me bitterness of about 34ibu. Dry hopping is a good idea as well and of course english hops. Grain 90% pale 5% crystal and 5% wheat malt if you are a northener.

Black or chocolate malts can help with colour as well. Mash at 66-67c or slightly higher if you want a bit more malt flavour.

That's my take on an English bitter.
:thumb:

Sorry I should have said welcome to the forum.
:thumb: